The purpose of the Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) Lecture Series is to provide educational information on a wide range of important topics in the field of alcohol research to a broad audience that includes practitioners, scientists, students and the public. The Lecture Series will include 16 lectures on topics ranging from alcohol's pharmacological action to epidemiology, treatment, and translation of science to the clinic. These lectures will be presented on the two days prior to the 2008 annual RSA meeting (June 27 & 28) and then educational materials, including Powerpoint slides, notes and podcasts of the lectures, will be made available to the public via the RSA website. The lectures will be translated both into Spanish and lay language to increase accessibility to a broader audience. As a resource to researchers, the Lecture Series can enhance the interchanges between clinical and basic scientists, as well as social and biomedical scientists, by developing a common knowledge base. It is also an excellent series of lectures for someone new to the alcohol research field (whether at the level of graduate student, postdoctoral scientist or scientist from an area outside of alcohol research). In addition, the Lecture Series serves as an educational forum to enhance and develop bridges between the treatment and research communities, providing accurate, up-to-date information on what is known of alcohol's effects and treatments for alcohol use disorders. Finally, by translating the talks into lay language, the Lecture Series creates an interface through which the public can become aware of the current state of alcohol research. Thus, the Lecture Series serves as an educational tool, providing a cost-effective means of disseminating accurate scientific information to researchers, clinicians, Universities, outreach programs and the general public. The Research Society on Alcoholism (RSA) Lecture Series will provide educational materials on alcohol's effects and alcohol use disorders. These materials will be available in scientific, Spanish and lay language, allowing accurate and current information on alcohol-related topics to be disseminated to students, educators, researchers, practitioners, and the public. [unreadable] [unreadable] [unreadable]